Kevin Duffy: Making a pitch for Kidd as Nets coach

Updated 12:09 am, Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Last Tuesday, NBA legend Jason Kidd announced his retirement. By Sunday night, news had surfaced of his interest in the Brooklyn Nets head coaching position.

The initial reports stated that Kidd wanted to "pitch himself" to Brooklyn GM Billy King, which got me thinking: What if Jason Kidd had to apply for a job -- pitch himself --like the rest of us?

I imagine his cover letter would read like this.

Dear Mr. King,

Greetings; my name is Jason Kidd. I hope this letter finds you well.

I recently came across your job posting on CareerBuilder.com and would like to submit my name into a surely-competitive field.

First, a little about myself: I retired from the NBA last week after a 19-year career that will (fingers crossed!) end in my Hall of Fame induction. I began my career in1994 with the Dallas Mavericks and later won a world championship as a Maverick in 2011. In between, I played for the Phoenix Suns and, of course, the Nets.

I'm aware that you did not work in New Jersey at the time (did my research), so I'll provide you with some details from my experience: We reached the NBA Finals in my first two years -- 2001-02 and 2002-03. In that first season, I was runner-up to Tim Duncan in MVP voting, which we all know the media can screw up from time-to-time.

No, but really, I've always been cool with the media. I've always treated those fine gentlemen with respect and they've reciprocated.

When I retired, Mike Lupica of The New York Daily News wrote, "You go back and look at all the significant trades in American professional sports over the last 20 years, and you do not find many -- or any -- that changed the culture of a franchise the way Jason Kidd changed the culture for the New Jersey Nets."

That means a lot to me. Mostly because it's true, but also because it would be considered exceedingly arrogant (and possibly detrimental to my candidacy) if I said it myself.

Now, I realize the profound impact I made as a player does not translate to coaching. So I will not bore you with additional details about my playing days (other than being the only player in league history 15,000 points, 10,000 assists and 7,000 rebounds).

Today, I feel ready to coach the Nets to 15,000 wins, 10,000 division titles and 7,000 world championships.

That's my goal here.

As I prepare for the next step of my career, I've received public support from many respected coaches.

While at the NBA Finals, Greg Popovich told reporters, "When you've played in the league as long as Jason has and played for a number of coaches, he's pretty much seen everything that the NBA can offer¦So if that's what he wants to do, and that's who they want to hire, I think that he's got an opportunity and a possibility to be really, really good at it."

Another of my references, my former coach Lawrence Frank, said on NBC, "He's one of the smartest players to ever play the game, a great leader who has a great presence. I think Jason could be a great head coach"

You're probably concerned about my lack of experience. You shouldn't be. I played 19 years. And if I'm fortunate to land this job, I reportedly plan to bring Lawrence Frank on board as an assistant coach, according to ESPN.

You may prefer candidates with more "experience," but please consider the point guard-to-coach trend: Mark Jackson had 17 years of experience as a player and none as a coach prior to taking the Warriors job.

He's doing alright these days.

So is Doc Rivers, who went from the announcing booth to his first coaching job in 2000.

Kevin Ollie, a 13-year NBA veteran, had only been an assistant at UConn for two years before succeeding Jim Calhoun. He won 20 games in his debut and, quite frankly, was robbed of Big East Coach of the Year.

Avery Johnson, who spent 16 years in the NBA, became Dallas' head coach after just five months as an assistant. He was named the league's Coach of the Year in his second season.

If you recall, Johnson also won Eastern Conference Coach of the Month with the Nets this past October and November before he was unjustly canned in December (just kidding, kind of).

Seriously, though, I remember reading about his firing. Reports indicated that Johnson didn't get along with point guard Deron Williams. I can promise you that won't be the case with me. From what I ascertain, Deron and I have a "close relationship." At least that's what the Internet says.

Lastly, you may be concerned that the greatest NBA players don't duplicate their success on the sidelines or in the front office. Obviously, Michael Jordan has made suspect draft picks in Charlotte; Isiah Thomas had a losing record (187-223) in seven seasons; and Bill Russell was 179-207 as coach of the SuperSonics and Kings.

Fortunately, I am not Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas or Bill Russell. I'm not the greatest player to ever live. I'm merely second in NBA history with 12,091 assists and 2,684 steals.

As you said on the day of my retirement, "Jason Kidd was the captain of the Nets during their most successful period in the NBA and is considered the greatest player in the Nets' NBA history."

I hope, Mr. King, to captain the Nets into a new era, to lead this phenomenal organization as head coach.

My resume and references are enclosed. I look forward to hearing from you.